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| Be focussed, don't be distracted |
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10212577608730666
Lord's Day - 21 Oct 2018
The church was blessed with the ministry of
the word from two Brothers of the church. The first message was on Nehemiah 6;
the second, a topical message on the subject of Death. The Lord has blessed
these two Brothers to minister to the saints assembled. Amen.
The message on Nehemiah ministered to my soul
as an undershepherd of the Lord - I was aptly reminded of the need for the
spirit and wisdom and resolve of Brother Nehemiah in the ministry. Amen.
Neh 6:1-19
Singlemindedness in the face of the wiles of
the enemies
Introduction
- the historical setting: Nehemiah the
cupbearer of King Artaxerxes; given the royal permission to rebuild the wall of
Jerusalem.
1. Facing the onslaught of distractions
- Sanballat and Gershem engaging Nehemiah to
distract him from the work, to do him mischief. Examples abound.
- "I am doing a great work, so that I
cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down
to you?"
- He would not be distracted from the great
work the Lord has committed to him, it must continue at all costs.
- Nehemiah remains resolute despite the
continuous onslaught of the wiles of the enemies.
- "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith,
QUIT YOU LIKE MEN, be strong."
2. Confronting lies and accusations
- " It is reported..." this, and
this, and that, blah blah.
- They want to make Nehemiah fearful, to stop
the great work to arm-twist Nehemiah to dialogue with them.
- "There are no such things done as thou
sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart." Expose their lies.
Lying and accusing like their father the devil.
- Resist the devil. Nehemiah turns to the
Lord, "Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands."
- Instead of being weakened by the enemies he
sought the Lord's strength.
3. Resisting the snares of cowardice
- "... let us shut the doors of the temple:
for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay
thee."
- Shemaiah is an enemy planted within, "
for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him" along with many others to speak
against Nehemiah.
- "Therefore was he hired, that I should
be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil
report, that they might reproach me"
- Scandalize the leader and discredit and
ruin him is the scheme of the devil.
- Jas 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore
to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Resist the
temptation to scandalize you, to discredit you as a coward!
- The nobles of Judah were pledging their
loyalty to the enemies of Nehemiah for political reasons, and not to the Lord.
These sorts are common in churches!
These points were appropriately fleshed out
with apt and vivid illustrations to bring home the lessons for us.
O LORD, instill in us the spirit of Nehemiah
in these perilous times. Amen.
